I Love Her A Lot, But Will She Return Love to me?
by SariaKasumi
Summary: After recruiting allies from the Dragon Knight Fortress, the Liberation Army decides to celebrate. Alen wants to tell the girl he loves about his feelings, but will she return love to him or will she reject him?


DISCLAMIER: I DO NOT OWN ANY SUIKODEN CHARACTERS! I ONLY OWN THIS STORY!! PLEASE DO NOT STEAL IT!!

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I Love Her A Lot, But Will She Return Love to me?

"KASUMI!!! WHERE ARE YOU??" I shouted.I looked and looked trying to find the young ninja. I went to the top floor and checked if she was there, but her ninja buddies said that she left a while ago. I walked downstairs and looked in every room and I mean EVERY room. She wasn't with Cleo or Pahn, or Tengaar and Hix. I even asked Master Mathiu, but his student Apple said that Kasumi was sent on an errand. I wondered back to my room and found my best friend lying on his bed looking at books, which he borrowed from Sir Humphrey. "Isn't that the same book I saw you looking at an hour ago, Grenseal?" I asked.

"Yeah, I'm trying to figure this thing out and I guess it took me a while and also…the author uses big words and I had to borrow a dictionary from Hugo, which took me a while. So, why are you back so soon, Alen?" he asked.

"I couldn't find Kasumi to talk to…and Apple told me that she was on an errand. So I came back here and decided to look at some books or go and ask Sir Humphrey for advice on swordsmanship." I replied as I sat on my bed and placed my sword on the bed. 

"Sir Humphrey was sent to do an errand…that's why I'm stuck with some books now." Grenseal replied. 

"Oh…well I guess I might just go and ask Sir Flik or Sir Lepant then." I said.

"Don't bother, Alen. They're on the same errand as Sir Humphrey." My best friend replied as he turned a page in the book.

"Oh…I guess I might go pay a visit to Chandler then." I said.

"Here…read this." Grenseal said and tossed a book to me without looking up.

I looked at the cover and raised an eyebrow. I then read the title out loud so Grenseal could hear it. "101 Ways to Attract and Get Women. Umm…I never knew Sir Humphrey looks at this…" I said with a sarcastic voice. Grenseal immediately looked up and grabbed the book out of my hand and tossed the book into his night table drawer. He then took another book and checked the cover and tossed it to me. "Hmhm…I knew you hid one of those books in this room hahaha." I laughed and looked at the book. I read and read and finally found myself starting to doze off, but Grenseal had amused himself by throwing a book at my face. I rubbed my left cheek and threw the book back at him much harder and I quickly got to my feet and started to beat my best friend up. 

"Okay! Okay! I give up!! OWW!!" Grenseal shouted and I finally stopped punching him. I looked at him for a while.

"Man...you ARE weaker than I thought...hahaha!" I laughed.

Grenseal rubbed his arm and looked at me. "I think I'm going to pay a visit to Dr. Liukan...and DON'T TOUCH ANY OF MY BOOKS!" he shouted and gathered all his or shall I say Sir Humprhey's books and placed them in a large box, which he shoved underneath his bed. He then walked out of the room and towards Dr. Liukan's room. I lay down on my bed and stared at the blank ceiling. I wondered what to do during my spare time. I thought of practicing with my sword, but thought it was boring without anyone to practice with. I enjoy having another person who is stronger than me to practice with me, so I could find out how good I'm doing. I got off of my bed and started to walk to the top floor, where Kage, Fuma, Pesmerga, and Kasumi are usually at. Fuma is usually trying to perfect his disappearing trick, Kasumi is usually up there to either think or practice with Kage, and if Kage wasn't practicing then he'd be standing there watching Fuma. Pesmerga...he usually stood in the far corner, where no one could bother him and I guess he was right because no one talks to him unless we have a large meeting. I walked up there and stood in a corner, which wasn't occupied. I looked out at the lake and looked to the distant. 

There was then the sound of water hitting the side of a boat. I looked down and saw Kasumi, Sir Flik, Sir Humphrey, Sir Viktor, Master Hero, Cleo, and a dragon knight, who I believe was named Futch, getting out of the boat. It seems like they finished their errand at the Dragon Knight Fortress. I also saw a strange looking guy, who I heard Kage saying his name was Vincent de Boule. I started to walk down the stairs and decided to take the elevator down the rest of the way. I went to the bottom floor and found that Sir Flik, Sir Humphrey, and Sir Viktor were going to their rooms, while Cleo and Master Hero went to Dr. Liukan. Kasumi stood next to Yam Koo and Tai Ho. All three were looking at the water. I walked towards them. 

"Hey Alen!" Tai Ho shouted.

"Hey man!" Yam Koo shouted after Tai Ho.

"Hm? Oh! Hello Alen." Kasumi said. 

"Hi guys." I said as I walked closer towards them.

"Hey big brother, don't we have an errand to do for Sir Flik?" Yam Koo asked Tai Ho.

"Dang...I guess you're right...well see you guys later then. Bye!" Tai Ho said and hopped into his boat.

"Laters guys." Yam Koo said and hopped into the boat and started to take the rope off of the hook. 

"Bye guys!" Kasumi and I shouted and waved to them. They waved back and drifted away. I looked at Kasumi and noticed that she had a cut on her arm.

"Kasumi! Your arm...it's bleeding...c'mon we better get you to Dr. Liukan!!" I exclaimed and grabbed her hand and started to pull her inside.

"Alen! I'm fine!" she shouted.

"Just get it checked and cleaned. It might be or getting infected." I said and pulled her into the elevator. We went to the 3rd floor and started to walk to Dr. Liukan's room. We found Master Hero, Cleo, and Grenseal there.

"Yo Alen! You hurt me so bad that I need bandages! You're going to pay for this man!" Grenseal shouted at me.

"Alen! I'm surprised that you did that to Grenseal. How could you?" Cleo asked.

"...It was his fault...he started it first..." I said.

"Well...next time be more careful in beating him up, Alen." Master Hero said.

"Yes sir." I replied.

"Okay Grenseal...you're finished now...just rest for a while and don't do anything to strain your arm." Dr. Liukan said as Grenseal started to walk out of the door.

"Thanks Dr. Liukan! See ya later!" Grenseal said and left.

Dr. Liukan looked at Master Hero, Cleo, Kasumi, and I. "Alen and Cleo...you two don't have any signs of any wounds...could you please leave the room...it's pretty crowded in this tiny room." 

"Yes sir..." I said and left the room. 

"Alright Dr. Liukan." Cleo said and followed me.

I turned around and looked at Cleo, who looked straight back at me. "Is something the matter?" I asked.

"You are so mean Alen. I can't believe Master Teo trained a young man like you and you seemed serious and nice at times, but you beat up your best friend! What kind of guy are you?! Geez..." Cleo said and walked up the stairs. I stared at her until she was out of sight. Then a cat started to brush itself against my leg and I slowly picked it up. I looked at it and noticed who it was.

"Oh! Hello Mina. Where are you off to? You shouldn't be running around or else Lotte might be sad." I said. Just then Lotte runs over to me.

"Mina! There you are!" she said. I looked at the young magician and handed her Mina. "Thank you Mr. Alen!" 

"Your welcome Lotte." I said and walked away. Lotte played with her cat and brought her to her room. I walked downstairs and decided that I needed a bath. I went into the bathroom and found it was empty...well except that Sansuke was there.

"Hey Alen! You're here for a bath, eh? Well...there's no one else here...only me." Sansuke said.

"Hello Sansuke...yep...I'm here for a bath...thanks for telling me." I said. I walked to the boys' bathroom. I walked to my locker and took off my armor, dress shirt, pants, and cape. All neatly folded and placed into my locker and I placed my sword in gently. I then walked to the tub with a towel wrapped around. I got in and sat there looking up at the blank ceiling. "Why am I here? Why did Master Teo assign me to fight with his son? Why? Why do people think I'm the one causing trouble? It's ALL Grenseal's fault..." I said to myself. I leaned on the wall and found myself closing my eyes. It was quite relaxing and the only sound was the water hitting the side of the bathtub. The silence was then broken by a couple voices. I sat up immediately and it turned out that on the other side was a bunch of girls. I heard the voices of Cleo, Valeria, Lotte, Eileen, and Kimberly. 

"Geez...that Alen...he's SOO immature and he beats up his best friend! What kind of guy is that?!?! Good thing Pahn doesn't do that. If he did then no dinner for him." I heard Cleo say.

"Mr. Alen isn't bad! He gave me back Mina politely!" I heard the little magician's voice.

"Alen actually looks pretty handsome...I think I might hit on him later on." I heard Kimberly's voice. 

"Hmhm...Alen is trying hard to become a knight. It seems he's trying to become as great as General Teo." Eileen said.

"Yeah...Viktor told me that Alen challenged him, but Viktor refused to because he didn't want to hurt him." Valeria said.

_He didn't want to hurt me, eh? NOT! He just thinks I'm weak!! AND WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT "HITTING ON ME!!!" Yuck...and yes...I am trying to be like Master Teo...he taught me everything and he even treated me as another son...he was like a father, that I never had in my life...I thought, but there was then a voice that broke my thoughts._

"What are you guys talking about?" another female voice said. I listened closely to figure out whose voice it was. 

"Oh! Hey Kasumi. We're talking about that IMMATURE, LITTLE BABY Alen..." Cleo said. 

_KASUMI?!?!?! HAH! Of course she's going to defend me! I always help her! _

"Oh! Alen...what did he do that made you so angry Cleo?" Kasumi asked.

"He beat Grenseal up and Grenseal is his best friend! I can't stand guys who beat up their friends! Young Master would NEVER hurt his best friend, Ted." Cleo said.

"Was that boy who we saw earlier, Ted?" Kasumi asked.

"Yeah...that was him..." Cleo said.

There were then two male voices. "Hey Viktor! Quit taking my sword, Odessa!" the first voice said.

"Heh...Fliky is sooooo over-protected." Viktor said. The two got into the bathtub and saw me.

"Hey Alen. How'd your swordplay?" Flik asked.

"Hello Sir Flik...umm...I guess my swordplay is still below yours." I said. 

"Hey Alen! How are the women?" Viktor asked as he sat next to me. 

I raised an eyebrow. "Women? What do you mean by that Sir Viktor?" I asked.

"Haven't the girls asked you out?" Viktor asked.

"..... No...." I replied.

"Oh...well you should practice with that sword of yours so you could attract those girls...hahaha." Viktor laughed. I got up and they both looked at me.

"I'm finished...my skin is starting to shrivel up...I don't quite want to look like a prune..." I said and started to walk towards the lockers. "Have a nice bath, guys...bye." 

"Bye Alen and keep practicing!" Flik said.

"See you later, Alen and keep practicing like Flik said, but remember to attract the women!" Viktor shouted and started to laugh.

_Why does Cleo hate me? Is it just because I beat Grenseal up? If that's all then I'll just go up to her and tell her I didn't mean to make her angry and that I beat him up so badly by accident...I really don't know my strength anyway...I thought and started to get dressed. I got everything and started to head out when Sansuke stopped me._

"Hey Alen...I heard what the girls said about you...you feeling okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine...and why would I be angry anyway. I'm not an immature, little baby like someone called me..." I said.

"Oh! So you heard, eh? Well...they don't know that you were in the bathroom because I told him that no one was inside." Sansuke said.

"Oh...well thanks. See ya later." I said and started to walk away. Just then Cleo and the rest of the girls came out. Cleo saw me and started to glare at me. I looked back at her and decided that it was time to tell her that SHE was the immature, little baby. 

"Hey lookie...it's the immature, little baby." she said. I walked up to her.

"Excuse me Cleo, but for your information I didn't beat Grenseal up on purpose. He started to throw books at me and I was just getting him back. I didn't think that my strength was at high level or that I NEVER knew how strong I was, but if you are going to stay mad at me...then fine whatever, but please don't talk behind my back. I haven't said anything mean about you in front of anyone or EVEN thought anything mean about you. I just see you as Master Hero's protector and Master Teo's servant. That's all..." I said. She looked at me and continued to glare at me.

"Shut up Alen! I don't care! You are an IMMATURE, LITTLE BABY anyway!" she said.

"Cleo...please stop." Kasumi said. I looked at her.

_She's trying to help me...but I bet Cleo won't listen to her...and she might think that Kasumi isn't her friend anymore...I can't let that happen to Kasumi..._

"Kasumi...don't bother..." I said. She looked back at me.

"What? But why?" she asked.

"Just don't...Cleo won't listen to you...as long as she's angry at me." I said.

"Shut up Alen! You are SO butt annoying! Get lost!" Cleo shouted.

"Cleo...please stop." Eileen started to say and the other girls started to say the same.

"SHUT UP!" Cleo shouted. Sir Flik and Sir Viktor walked out and looked at us all and wondered why we were arguing.

"What's going on here?" Sir Flik asked.

"Cleo is calling Alen 'an immature, little baby...Sir Flik." Sansuke said.

Flik looked at Cleo and then at me. "What happened here?" he asked. 

"I'm just telling her that I didn't mean to hurt Grenseal...it was an accident. I truly don't know my strength, Sir Flik..." I answered.

"LIAR! YOU HURTED YOUR OWN FRIEND!" Cleo screamed.

Soon Pahn walked into the room and Cleo ran to his side. "What's wrong, Cleo?" he asked.

"Alen beat Grenseal up and I thought it was a terrible thing that he did it to his best friend." she said.

I walked up to Cleo and stared straight into her eyes. "This has no business with you, Miss Cleo. This is something ONLY between Grenseal and I. Please stay out of it..." I turned to Sir Flik and the others. "I must be on my way, goodbye..." I turned and walked away. I could hear Cleo still complaining and Pahn trying to comfort her. I walked to my room and found Grenseal looking at his books again. He looked up at me and saw that I was angry and that I had been in trouble.

"What's wrong, Al?" he asked.

"Cleo thinks that I shouldn't have beaten a 'best friend' up. Man...why can't she just stay out of this? This is between you and me and I didn't mean to beat you up THAT badly...by the way, I'm sorry for hurting you anyway..." I apologized.

"What?! You don't have to apologize, man. It was my fault anyway...heh heh I was the one who threw the book at you in the first place. Don't worry...about Cleo...I'll make Pahn calm her down. Either that or I'll just tell her that it was a minor accident, which it was." he said.

"Thanks Gren. I'm glad I have a buddy like you." I said and lay on my bed. 

"No prob Al, but you REALLY should tell me that girls are attracted to you..." Grenseal said.

"What are you babbling about now?" I asked as I still lay on my bed.

"Hmm...it seems Kasumi wants to see you. She's waiting outside of our room and is too shy to come in...heh heh HI KASUMI!!" Grenseal shouted. 

I instantly sat up and looked at the door. Slowly Kasumi moved into the middle of the doorway. "Kasumi?!?" I asked confused.

She looked at Grenseal and then looked at me. "Hello Grenseal. Hi Alen..." she said. I got off of my bed and walked over to her. 

"Is something bothering you, Kasumi?" I asked as I saw this unsure look on her face.

"Yeah...could I talk to you privately?" she asked.

"Alright..." I said and turned around to look at Grenseal. "Hey Gren, I'll be out for a while maybe...see ya laterz...and don't read anything that's not good for that head of yours." I said and chuckled.

"Yeah, yeah. Laterz man and don't hit on any girls without me! I want to see the 'Alen's charm' haha." Grenseal said.

Kasumi and I walked out of the room and started to head for the last floor. We took the elevator to the 4th floor and took the stairs. When we got upstairs, Fuma and Kage started to walk downstairs and Pesmerga just stood there on the corner. Kasumi started to head to her corner, so I started to follow her. _Does this have anything to do with me? I guess it must be...I guess the other girls don't want to be around a girl, who's helping a guy like me..._

"Alen..." she said softly while staring at the ground.

I looked at her. "What is it?" I asked in a soft voice.

"What happened between you and Grenseal?" she asked and looked up at me.

"I...it was just an accident...I didn't mean to hurt him...and I already apologized to him. He even accepted my apology and I really didn't know my strength, Kasumi. Please believe me." I said. _I doubt she'll believe in me...she did before and I guess I lost her trust because of this...I'm sorry Kasumi...if all these things are affecting you in a bad way..._

"Is that it?" she asked.

"Yeah...that's all. I apologized already and Grenseal is thinking of telling Cleo that it was just an accident and that it's a misunderstanding." I said.

"Ohh...I see. Well, that makes me feel good that you apologized already." she said and smiled at me.

_She believes me? Wow...I guess she is another true friend...thank you Kasumi...for being there to help me..."So...how's your arm? Does it hurt?" I asked._

"Naw...my arm is okay now. I just had it wrapped up and that's all. Dr. Liukan said that I could take the bandages off next week. Until then I can't do anything to sprain it." she said.

"Ohh...well I hope you feel better." I said.

"Did you hear what the girls were saying in the bathroom earlier?" she asked.

"I...uhh...." I started to stutter. _Should I tell her? Yes! I should...or else it'll ruin her trust for me. "...Yeah...I heard most of it..." I said._

"Ohh...I see." she said and smiled.

_Why is she smiling so much? Is something funny? Or is it me? Why do I like it when she's smiling anyway?! "Are you REALLY happy about something?" I asked._

She nodded her head. 

"What is it? Could you tell me?" I asked, wondering what she was smiling about.

"Hmhm...I'm just surprised that you told me that you heard what the girls said. Most guys wouldn't have told. You surprise me at times, Alen and that's why I like hanging around you even if most girls don't think it's cool," she said.

"Oh...hmhm." I said.

Suddenly, there was a tap on our shoulders. We both were startled and gave a little jump. We turned and saw Sydonia there. "Hm? What is it, Sydonia?" I asked.

"Time for dinner..." he said and walked down the stairs. I looked back at Kasumi, who was now giggling. I looked over to where Pesmerga was and noticed he wasn't there anymore.

"Now what's funny?" I asked.

"Hmhmhm...you and me were both startled by Sydonia and usually you're on guard at EVERY moment hahaha," she giggled.

"Hmhm...you're right...but I thought ninjas were able to sense others around them." I said.

"Haha...you're right. C'mon let's go eat," she said. 

"Alright hmhm." I said and we both started to walk down the stairs. We walked to the dining room, where we also have our meetings. When we both entered the room became silent. Cleo turned her head towards one direction and Pahn tried to calm her down. Grenseal sat in his chair, Pesmerga was in the corner, and Eileen was whispering something to Sir Lepant. Master Hero walked into the room and noticed it was silent.

"What's wrong?" he asked. 

I turned to Master Hero. "It seems that an accident between Grenseal and I have angered Miss Cleo." I said. Master Hero raised an eyebrow.

"Cleo? What's wrong?" he asked.

Cleo stood up and slammed her fists onto the table. "HE WAS BEATING HIS BEST FRIEND UP, YOUNG MASTER!" she exclaimed. 

"He apologized to me already, Miss Cleo. You don't have to worry about it anymore. Thank you for your concern, but this was only something between us both." Grenseal said. 

"What? But he be-" Cleo said before she was interrupted.

"Cleo...listen. They're all better again. You do not have to worry about it anymore." Master Hero said.

I looked at Master Hero. "Thank you Master Hero...for everything." I said.

Cleo stopped arguing and Sir Lepant broke the silence in the room. "Let's have a cheers to Master Hero. For he has persuaded the Dragon Knights to become our ally. For we shall become stronger than the Empire! Cheers! To our new recruits, Futch, Millia, Sir Joshua, Leon Silverburg, and Mace. Cheers to our new recruits and allies!!" Everyone raised their cups and cheered. We ate the stew that Lester made and other cuisines that Antonio made. We ate till he had no room in our stomachs. Then most of the guys drank large mugs of beer. Of course, the other guys had a drinking contest. 

"Yo Alen! Wanna beer?" Viktor shouted.

"Don't give him one, he'll be talking in his sleep tonight…and hic! He'll get knocked out only on one beer…hic!" Grenseal said.

"Haha! One of Teo's soldiers can't take ONLY one beer…haha!" Viktor laughed. 

"I'm not like that!" I shouted.

"Fine…here! Drink it up!" Viktor slid a mug of beer to me. I looked at the bubbling liquid and looked up at Viktor, who just smiled back. I looked at Grenseal, who was asking people to bet if I was going to get knocked out after one. I took the mug and chugged the liquid down. 

"You see! I'm still fine!" I shouted at Grenseal. Viktor gave me another mug and another. The guys cheered and some of the girls had worried expressions on their faces. I ignored them all and chugged all the mugs of beer down until everything went black.

I woke up the next morning with my head pounding. I looked around and noticed I was in my room and that my clothes smelled. _Sarah is going to be VERY angry…oh well…it's the guys' fault. They made me drunk. I looked around the room and found that Grenseal wasn't in his bed. I also noticed that my sword wasn't with me. I hopped out of bed and started to look through a pile of clothing and Grenseal's junk. I still wasn't able to find it. I continued to look around the room until I heard a familiar female voice._

"Alen, are you feeling okay?" the voice said. I turned around and found Kasumi standing there. She had a worried expression on her face.

"What's wrong Kasumi? I'm fine, but I can't seem to be able to find my sword." I said.

"Alen…you shouldn't drink that much. You made me worried sick. I couldn't even fall asleep." She said. 

"I'm sorry Kasumi. I'll try not to next time. By the way, what brings you here?" I asked.

"Oh yeah! Sarah wanted me to get yours and Grenseal's dirty clothes." She said.

"Oh…well you don't have to do it. I got it all…and also…it's going to take a while to check which clothes is dirty…especially Grenseal's." I said.

"I'll help you out then and also I could help you out find your sword." She said and smiled.

"Thanks a bunch Kasumi." I said and smiled back. We started to dig through the rummage and we actually found some strange things. We found a moldy slice of pizza, an empty beer bottle, smelly socks, a rotten piece of cheese, and other disgusting stuff, which belongs to Grenseal. We found other stuff like my old scarlet red cape, my sword-polisher, and others. We found the dirty clothes and managed to fit them all in a large basket. Kasumi tried to lift the basket by herself, but it was too heavy for her. I lifted it up and succeeded. We started to head for Sarah's room. 

"Grenseal is pretty messy, and surprisingly you aren't." Kasumi commented.

"Hmm…I wonder how your room looks like. Hmhm." I laughed. She slapped my shoulder.

"Hmph! I'm not as messy as Grenseal and also a girl's room is her privacy." She said.

"Hey! A guy's room is his privacy also! You were in my room, so why can't I go to yours?" I asked.

She slapped my shoulder again, but this time harder. I laughed and she started to laugh with me. We walked into the room, where Sarah was. 

"Eww! Alen! Go upstairs to Sir Lepant's room and put on a clean shirt! The one you have on right now smells!!!" she shouted and tossed me a clean shirt and pants. I caught them and walked upstairs. Sir Lepant wasn't in his room, but I thought that I should quickly change. Once I finished changing I walked downstairs and Meg ran up to me and grabbed my arm.

"Alen! Help me persuade Uncle Juppo in teaching me some of his tricks!" she said.

"Umm…alright, but have you seen where Kasumi went?" I said after noticing that Kasumi wasn't in the room.

"Oh! Kasumi went to Master Hero's room to get his dirty clothes and then I think she's going to go to Kage and Fuma's rooms too." She replied.

"Oh…well thanks Meg and I guess I'll try to help you out." I said.

"Thanks Alen!" she exclaimed. She pulled me out of the room and into the elevator. We went down to the basement and found Juppo working with Kamandol on a "big" project. Meg ran up to Juppo and he immediately shook his head.

"Oh c'mon Uncle Juppo! Why can't you teach me?" she whined. 

"Your parents might get angry at me if you start to use some of those tricks at home and also…I'm a busy man." He replied.

"Is that all you're afraid of?" I asked. He looked towards me.

"Alen…I guess you never knew your parents, eh?" he asked. It was true. I never seen my parents nor have I ever had pictures. I've only heard that they were brave, strong, kind-hearted, and more. 

"…Yeah." I replied.

"Well…then this discussion has nothing to do with you. I'm sorry Alen," he said.

"It's alright." I turned to Meg. "Sorry Meg, that I can't help you. Bye." I said and headed up the stairs. I decided that I need some fresh air and that I needed to be out of the castle. I went to Sir Mathiu's room and asked," Master Mathiu, may I please leave the castle for a while? I wish to have some fresh air and I need to be out of this place for a bit." 

"Alright Alen, but you must return either tonight or tomorrow morning. If you do not return after a long period of time then I shall order soldiers to look for you. You also CANNOT go to Gregminster; I trust in you that you will not see the Emperor or Windy. If you consider going then I have no choice, but to ask Master Hero if we can take your life. Do you understand?" he asked.

"Yes sir and thank you for allowing me to go." I said.

"Your welcome Alen, now you must be on your way now. Goodbye for now." He said.

"Goodbye Master Mathiu." I said and walked out of the room. Suddenly, Futch ran over to me with an anxious expression on his face.

"Are you going somewhere Mr. Alen? Can I go with you? I already asked Sir Humphrey and he said it was alright, but I should ask Master Mathiu though…hold on a second," He said and ran into the room. A minute later he ran back out and said," he said alright, but as long as I stick close to you." 

"Alright then. Let's get going." I said. We got into the elevator and started to walk out to the docks until we heard a voice shouting our names. We both turned around and found Kasumi shouting.

"ALEN! FUTCH! WAIT FOR ME!" she shouted and ran up to us. 

"What is it, Kasumi?" I asked.

"Master Mathiu said I could go with you." She said.

"What?!" I asked.

"Please Alen." she whined.

"Alright then." I replied.

The three of us headed to the docks and found Kimberly flirting with Tai Ho and Yam Koo was fishing. "Hey guys! Could we borrow your boat?" I asked.

"Sure…I'll bring you guys across. Big brother is busy now." Yam Koo replied. We hopped into the boat and started to float towards Kaku. When we arrived, Yam Koo told us that he'll be back later at the docks or the next morning. He then floated back to the Toran Castle. 

"Where should we go to?" Futch asked.

"Why don't we look around here first?" Kasumi asked.

"Alright…we'll look around this place first and then we'll pick another place to go." I said.

"Alright." Kasumi answered.

"Okay." Futch replied.

We started to walk to the armor shop and we found two ladies looking at us. Kasumi glared at them because she could tell that they were talking about her. One of the ladies was a brunette and had a pink dress on. The other one was a blonde and she had a light blue dress on. The brunette walked over to us and her friend followed. "Excuse me, but are you a female?" the brunette asked Kasumi. Kasumi's eyes widened and I could tell that she had her Shrike Rune ready. Her hands were now fists and I also had a feeling that she was going to punch the girl. I placed my hand on her fist.She looked up at me confused.

"Yes, she is a female and a rather elegant one. She's been in my life for a long time and if you wish to make fun of her then…I'm sorry, but I shall hunt you down and make sure you are annihilated." I said. The blonde walked up to me and placed her hands on my chest.

"You are quite defined. Are you busy tonight?" she asked.

"I'm sorry, but I'm quite busy. For my wife and son need me." I said.

Kasumi blushed and Futch was just confused. 

"I can't believe a nice looking guy like you would go for a girl, who wears something…like that." The blonde said.

"Well…I like her to wear whatever she wants. Now we must be on our way now. Farewell." I said and placed one arm around Kasumi and picked Futch up with the other arm. Good thing Futch was light. I carried Futch and had Kasumi close to me, but once we entered the Armor Shop, I let go of my grip. I placed Futch down and took my arm way from Kasumi. "Sorry about that guys." I apologized.

"It's okay Alen and thanks for helping me." Kasumi replied.

"It's okay Alen…but next time…tell me that you're going to carry me." Futch said.

"I will." I said. We looked around in the shop and left. We found the two girls tearing up their clothes so they could show some skin. "I guess they want to be like you Kasumi." I said and laughed.

"Oh shut up Alen!" she said and slapped me in the shoulder. Futch just laughed. We looked around and Futch was getting tired. 

"Want me to carry you?" I asked.

"Alright…" he said and yawned. I picked him up and Kasumi started to yawn also. 

"Let's see if Yam Koo or Tai Ho is at the docks." I said and walked over to the docks with them both. They weren't there and we didn't have enough money to pay the three of us. "I guess we have to camp out then." I said. Futch fell asleep on me and Kasumi was about to doze off. I placed one arm around Kasumi and the three of us headed out of the town. We found a large tree close by and I decided to camp out here. 

I placed Futch down and Kasumi sat next to him. She then started to fall asleep. I then started to gather twigs and small branches. I placed them down on the ground and used my Rage Rune to make a fire. I sat between Futch and Kasumi and started to lean on the tree. I took off my cape and gave it to Futch. I placed my arm around Kasumi and tried to make her warm. I stayed up all night watching over them and adding twigs to the fire. When morning came, Futch woke up and found Kasumi asleep and me awake. He handed me my cape and I placed it on Kasumi, who was now had her head on my lap.

"Go the river and wash your face, but make sure you don't fall in." I said in a soft voice.

"Alright." He responded with a soft voice. He headed towards the river and I looked down at the sleepy Kasumi.

_Hmhm…she looks rather cute when she's asleep. She then slowly awakened. She looked up and saw me. She instantly got up._

"Oh! Good morning Alen…umm…sorry for sleeping on you." She said.

"Good morning Kasumi and it's okay. I just need to go back to the castle and get some sleep." I said and yawned.

"You were up all night?!" she asked.

"Yeah…I wanted to make sure that you guys were safe. Let's go to the river and wash our faces. Then we could check if Yam Koo or Tai Ho is at the docks." I said. 

"Okay, but where's Futch?" she asked.

"He's by the river." I said.

We walked to the river and found Futch finishing up. Kasumi walked to the side of the river and started to wash her face and I did the same. When we finished, we started to walk back to Kaku. When we reached the docks, we found Yam Koo waiting. "Yo guys! You ready to go back to the castle?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm ready." Futch said as he hopped into the boat.

"Same here." Kasumi said and hopped into the boat.

"Yeah, we're ready." I said and hopped into the boat. Yam Koo got in and the boat started to float back to the castle. We got off the boat and Yam Koo quickly tied the boat down and searched for Tai Ho. 

We started to walk inside and Qlon said," Welcome to Toran Castle."

We took the elevator and Futch walked to where Kasious was, Kasumi and I took the elevator to the top floor. We walked to Master Mathiu's room and we found only Apple. "Hey Apple, could you tell Master Mathiu that we returned?" I asked.

"Alright Alen." she took a sheet of paper and wrote down that we came back.

"Thanks a bunch Apple, see you later." Kasumi and I said. 

We started to walk downstairs, but Master Hero stopped us. "Kasumi, can I talk to you privately?" he asked. Kasumi looked at me and smiled. I knew she was in love with Master Hero so bad. I nodded my head. 

"See you later Kasumi." I said as I entered the elevator and found myself thinking deeply. _Do I love her? I have this warm feeling when I'm with her. I never get this feeling with anyone else…I think I should ask Sir Flik or Sir Lepant or maybe Miss Eileen. I don't know. It's just too confusing. What is this feeling and what is the true meaning of 'love'? Is it something a guy like me would never feel or experience? Why do people fall in lo- I thought until Kasious interrupting me._

"Alen? Are you alright?" she asked me.

"Huh? Oh! Kasious, umm…could I ask you a question?" I asked.

"Sure, but do you think you could get out of the elevator though?" she asked.

"Oh! Heh…"I got out of the elevator and we walked to the area she usually stood and sang her songs.

"What is it Alen?" she asked.

"Umm…what's the meaning of 'love'? I never quite felt it because my parents died after I was born." I asked.

"Hmhm…love is something…you can cherish with another human being or if you are a creature…then you'd be cherishing love with another creature. Love has different meanings. Why do you ask?" she asked.

"I…uh…well…umm…err…" I stuttered.

"Hmhm…I'm kidding. You don't have to tell me why Alen. Just be the brave, strong, young man I know." She said, "Hmm...so, do you want to hear a song today?" 

"Uhh...sure I guess." I answered.

"You got any song you want me to sing?" she asked.

"It doesn't matter." I said. She shrugged and started to play her harp and started to sing. Her voice sounded beautiful and I found myself sitting on the floor staring up at her while she sang. _It's so beautiful...Kasious's singing voice is wonderful. I also noticed how her blond hair looked when the wind blew and how she continued to sing. __She is beautiful...but she likes Milich t__hough...I started to think and stare until her song was finished. "Well...I better go check out what Grenseal might be doing. Bye Kasious and thanks for everything!" I said and ran to Grenseal and my room. I waved back at her while running and I saw her smiling and waving back also. I ran into the room and shouted," Hey Gren!", but when I got into the room, I found him busy kissing Mina. My eyes widened and Grenseal stopped kissing Mina, he looked up and moved away from her. _

"Oh! Hey Alen! What's up? Uhh...I was helping Mina find her earring that she lost in here when she brought in the clean blankets." Grenseal said.

"Hello Alen. I found my earring...so I better be on my way. Bye Alen...bye Grenseal...tee hee hee." she giggled and walked out of the room. I raised an eyebrow at Grenseal.

"I saw you two kissing, Gren. You and Mina are in love eh? Why didn't you tell me?!" I asked.

"Heh...she wanted to keep it a secret. So...what are you so happy about?" he asked.

"Hmm...I think I found someone special." I said.

"What?! Who's the girl?!" he asked anxiously.

"Heh heh...Kasious." I replied.

"KASIOUS?! But she loves Milich Oppenheimer!" he said.

"I know that...but who knows. She might actually give me a chance." I said.

"But what about Kas-" he said, but was interrupted by me.

"No...she has Master McDohl...she loves him more than anyone else." I said.

Suddenly, Kasumi ran into the room and looked REALLY happy. "Alen! Hi Grenseal! Alen! I have to tell you something privately!! C'mon!!" she exclaimed and grabbed my arm and pulled me out of the room. We ran to the elevator and from the corner of my eye, I saw Mina running back into my room. We went to the top floor and to one empty corner. 

"What is it Kasumi?" I asked.

"Master McDohl and me...we...hmhm...you know..." she said and blushed.

"What?! You two were..." I lowered my voice. "in bed together?" I asked. She nodded her head. "..........."

"And he said that for our festival tomorrow, which we have to bring a date to...he's going to bring me. Hmhm." she said.

"Oh...well...I better go find someone then...see ya around..." I said and ran down the stairs with anger. _Damn it! She could've been mine...oh Kasumi...I...I...wish you were mine...but I guess it will never happen...because I didn't ask you before that leader...grrr!!! I ran to the 2nd floor and had my eyes closed tightly so tears wouldn't burst. Suddenly, I heard a calm, female voice._

"Alen? Are you alright?" the voice asked. I opened my eyes and looked.It was... Kasious.

"I'm fine...um...are you going to the festival with Sir Milich?" I asked. She looked at the ground for a while. "What's wrong?" 

"He's going with...Esmeralda..." she said. 

"Oh...but I thought he'd go with you though." I said.

"He was...but she asked him out before I did...so now I won't have a partner...oh well...I'll just have a normal day like today then..." she said. I looked at her and noticed a tear, I slowly moved closer to her and wiped the tear away with my finger. She looked up at me confused. "Why did you do that?" she asked.

"Will you go to the festival with me Kasious?" I asked. Her face brightened.

"Really?" she asked.

"Really, I won't abandon you." I said. Her face brightened and she instantly hugged me. She then let go after a long time.

"Umm...I think I'll go see what I should wear for tomorrow and thank you Alen." she said and started to walk away. "See you later."

I smiled and found that I had a hard time hiding my smile. I started to walk to my room with my face all brightened. I entered our room and laid on my bed. I even ignored Grenseal and Mina making out. They looked up and stared at me. I just continued to smile and slowly drift to sleep. I guess Grenseal and Mina stopped making out after I entered the room because I heard them leave the room. I started to have an odd dream, but it became scarier.

Dream "Where am I?" I asked and looked around. I saw nothing, but black. I started to walk, but was stopped by the sight of a young lady, the one I loved, but had no idea about it though. "Kasumi?" I asked. She turned around and smiled lovingly at me. I couldn't help but to smile back. I walked closer to her, but noticed that no matter how close I tried to get to her she would just move back. Yet her feet didn't moved at all, it seemed as though she was gliding. 

"Alen…help me…" she said and held out her arms. I started to run towards her, but she kept moving away from me. 

"Kasumi! Come back!!" I shouted. There was then the sound of a dagger being stabbed into someone and that someone turned out to be…Kasumi…My eyes widened and I ran to her and this time she stayed still. She was lying on the ground with blood streaming from her body. I ripped part of my shirt and started to wrap her wound. Suddenly, that sound of dagger stabbed in flesh was heard, but this time the person being stabbed…was I. I lay next to Kasumi with a large and nasty wound. The figure, which stabbed us both, just stood above us. His face was blacked out, but his shadow look awfully familiar. I could almost make out his face, but that's when I woke up. End of dream

I woke up with cold sweat and I was also breathing hard. I looked at the clock on our wall and noticed that it was the middle of the night. I stared at Grenseal, who was sleeping like a baby. I got up and decided to just wear a dress shirt and take a walk. I walked outside and heard someone crying. I walked closer to the sobs. The sobs was near the Appraising shop was. I walked closer and closer and found a girl sitting on the floor crying with her hands covering her eyes. I couldn't tell who she was, but I continued to walk closer. I sat next to her and place my arm around her. She looked up and I found out the girl was Kasumi. 

"Kasumi? What's wrong?" I asked. 

She didn't respond, but kept crying. She started to cry even more. I pulled her closer to me and she was now crying on my shirt. I rubbed her back and tried to calm her down. 

"Shh…don't cry." I said in a soft voice. She continued to cry though. "What happened Kasumi?" 

"_Sniff Sniff _I had a bad dream…that you and me were dead…but I don't want you to die because you're my friend…and I don't want to die either because I still have more stuff to look forward to…_sniff_…" she said with tears still flowing. 

"I had a bad dream also…and it was also about me and you dying, but everything's going to be fine, Kasumi." I calmed her down. I wiped her tears away with my finger. She wrapped her arms tightly around me. "Let's go outside for some fresh air." I suggested. She nodded and we walked outside and watched the moonlight on the water. I felt better knowing that I could at least be this close with her. We stood there and silence was the only thing you were able to hear. It started to get chilly and I looked down at Kasumi. "Let's go back inside. You might catch a cold." I said, but she didn't respond. I looked to see if she was still crying, but found that she was asleep. I picked her up and carried her to her room. 

_Damn…she's beautiful…if only she knew my feelings for her…of well…I guess she'd pick Master McDohl over me…Master McDohl IS the leader after all…and I'm just a knight…_I placed her into bed and covered her with blanket. I touched her forehead gently, checking if she was sweating. I started to walk towards the door, but I heard her crying in her sleep. I ran back to her and patted her gently near the neck. I tried not touching any other body part. "Shh…don't cry. I'm here." I said softly. She stopped crying and took a hold of my hand. She held onto it tightly and didn't let go. I decided that I'd stay by her side for the night. I pulled a chair next to the bedside and watched her.

I started to get sleepy and found myself sleeping while sitting on a chair, which I usually don't do because it's uncomfortable. 

The next morning, I heard a voice, trying to wake me up. "Alen…wake up…it's almost time for the festival." 

I woke up and found Kasumi right in front of me. I rubbed my head. "Huh?"

"I guess you stayed by my side because I was crying…eh? Also…thanks for bringing me to my room." She said.

"Oh…well umm…I thought that I should bring you up instead of letting you catch a cold yesterday." I said.

"Oh…and sorry for holding onto your hand real tight." She apologized.

"Oh! It's okay. Well…I better get back to my room now. See you later at the festival." I said and walked out of the room. I walked to my room and found Grenseal zipping Mina's dress and kissing her neck at the same time. I stood in the doorway and clapped my hands. It startled them both and they quickly turned around. "Nice move Gren. Haha." I laughed. Mina blushed and Grenseal raised his eyebrow. 

"Morning Alen. Where've you been?" he said and finished zipping her dress. 

"Uhh…I…err…umm…. ehhh…." I stuttered.

"Thanks Grenseal…I'll be going to the festival hmhm." Mina said and walked towards the door. I stepped aside. 

"See you later Mina." I said.

"Later Mina." Grenseal said. 

"So Grenseal…are you and Mina going out?" I asked.

"Yep, but that's a surprise for everyone later. By the way, you still didn't answer my question…where were you all night?" he asked while slipping on a clean dress shirt.

"I…had a nightmare…and decided to take a walk…and I heard someone crying so I walked closer to the person and I found out that it was Kasumi…" I said and took off my dress shirt and searched for a clean one.

"Kasumi? But I thought that girl is strong and doesn't cry or do anything feminine-like." Grenseal asked. 

"She has feelings too Grenseal, don't forget." I replied.

"Alright, alright…what happened next?" he asked while searching for a clean pair of slacks.

"Well…she told me that she also had a nightmare and we decided to go outside and get some fresh air." I said and slipped on a clean dress shirt. 

"Didya kiss or do anything horny to her?" he asked with a smirk while pulling his slacks on.

"Of course NOT! Anyway, it started to get chilly so I told her that we'll go inside, but she fell asleep and then I had to carry her to her room. I covered her with blanket and I was about to leave, but she started to cry in her sleep. So I ran back to her and calmed her down." I said putting a clean pair of khakis.

"Now didya kiss her?" he asked while putting on a tie.

"Of course I didn't! Now…I was about to leave again, but she grabbed my hand and didn't let go. So I had no choice, but to stay by her side and that's when I fell asleep." I said and fixed my hair. 

"Hmm…then what happened?" he asked while he was still putting his tie on.

"She woke me up earlier and said, 'thank you' and well I came down here and saw you and Mina…heh heh." I said with a devilish smile.

"Hey! Keep that a secret for now! By the way, how the heck do you put these ties on?!" he asked with stress.

I laughed and looked him over. "You don't need the tie. Just fix your hair and you'll be fine." I said.

"Hmm…alright." He said and picked a brush up and started to fix up his hair.

I sat on my bed and found my sword lying underneath my blanket. "Geez…I actually went to sleep with my sword?" I asked out loud.

"Ready Alen?" Grenseal asked.

"Yep, I've been ready," I said and stood up with my sword in my hand. I hooked it back onto my belt. "And this I won't lose my sword either."

"Haha…you won't need that. It's only going to be a party and I doubt someone is going to trash it either." He said.

"You don't know if there might be…" I said. He sighed and we both started to walk to the main meeting room. 

The room was decorated and there was a large table with food, beverages, especially beer, and other goodies. There was also a sign next to the door saying," Ladies MUST wear dresses, and the Men MUST NOT drink too much beer AND MUST wear casual clothes. Note: ARMORS NOT ALLOWED!!" Grenseal and I exchanged looks and walked inside. We found Mina, Luc, Viktor, Valeria, Lotte, Kasious, Milich, and Esmeralda. Mina saw us coming and ran to Grenseal and Kasious just walked casually towards me. Mina was wearing the same dress she wears everyday except that she had a gold necklace and gold bracelet. Kasious wore a sky blue dress, which was sleeveless and this time her hair was left down. Also there was no hat covering her hair, which made her hair look nicer. Grenseal kissed Mina on the cheek gently and Mina just stood there blushing. 

"Hmhm…thanks for asking me to the festival Alen." Kasious said and did a little curtsey.

"Uhhh…you're welcome." I said a little shocked. _Wow…Kasious looks more than beautiful itself…she's…umm…she's gorgeous_"Wow, Kasious, you look…gorgeous in that dress." I commented. 

"Hmhm…thank you Alen for you nice complement." She said with a smile and I could see that she was blushing a little, but was trying to hide it.

Viktor and Valeria walked over to us and Viktor placed his hand on my shoulder, which made me almost fall on top of Kasious, but luckily I caught my balance. I stood back up and rubbed my shoulder.

"Haha! Is Alen a whittle baby? Did that hurt? Haha." he teased.

"Ah hah…well…hi Viktor and Valeria…nice to see you both and Viktor…thanks for the aching shoulder." I said.

"Hmhm…you okay Alen?" Valeria asked.

"I'm fine. Hmm…who's your partner for tonight?" I asked.

"Oh! It's this big bear over here." She answered.

"ROAR!" Viktor roared like a bear. We all laughed and then there was the sound of ooohing and aaaahh's. All of us turned and saw Master McDohl and Kasumi walk in. Kasumi was actually wearing a light pink dress, which I think made her look beautiful. I could tell she wasn't use to wearing dresses, but being with that McDohl kid made her happy still. I couldn't help, but to leave the room for a second. Kasious followed me, Grenseal didn't notice because he was busy with Mina, Viktor was busy with beer and Valeria was trying to stop him, Lotte and Luc were busy arguing with each other, and I guess Kasumi was busy staring at that McDohl kid. Once I got out of that doorway, I started to run up the stairs to the top floor. 

There was no one up there, so I screamed to the top of my lungs. I dropped to my knees and started to pound the ground with my fists. "WHY DOES THIS HAVE TO HAPPEN!!!" I screamed at the ground, still punching it. I couldn't help the fact that I wanted to cry real badly. I wanted to let my tears flow, but there was something stopping me. I didn't know HOW to cry…when I was small my parents treated me bad and sent me to the army when I was only ten. During the training, I met Grenseal and found out that his family treated him nice and never abused them. After the training, I found out my parents died when there was a stampede of horses, who stepped on them. I forgot how I felt, but I knew I wasn't crying. At their funeral, I found most of my relatives crying and I just stood there with a frown on my face. Since I was only thirteen at that time, I had to have someone to take care of me. My relatives tried to take care of me, but after one week they didn't want me anymore. All my relatives decided that they wouldn't take care of me and when I turned fifteen, I decided to visit Grenseal in Rikon. When I got there, I heard that Emperor Barbarossa was looking for young men, who needed shelter and food. He'd give it to them and the men must repay him back by serving him. I started to head towards Gregminster and Grenseal decided to join me. When we got there, we trained hard and later was assigned to General Teo McDohl, father of Hero McDohl. 

"Alen? Are you alright?" a calm and sweet voice asked from behind.

At first I thought it was Kasumi, but the thought that she would rather spend time with Hero McDohl made my brain boil. _Alen! It can't be her! She'd rather spend time with the kid…she's in love with him!! GRRR!!!!_ I turned around and saw Kasious standing there with a frown on her face. "Please Kasious, leave me alone. I want to spend some time alone." I answered.

"Alen, I can tell that you like Kasumi…if u want her, then go get her. Try to achieve a goal. Tell me Alen, after General McDohl passed away, what became your goal and dream?" she asked. I stared at her with a blank face. "I see, so you don't have one. Well then, go and get Kasumi. I know you love her so much, and if I'm right then go and tell her." 

"I…I can't though," I said.

"Why not?" she asked.

"Or else I'd be abandoning you, Kasious," I said." And I was the one who asked you to be my partner for this festival and…I…like you a lot too." I confessed.

Her eyes widened. "You do?" she asked.

"Yeah…" I said.

"Well, I'm sorry Alen, but Master Milich is the only person I love. I'm sorry." She replied.

"I…understand." I said.

"Well…GO AND GET KASUMI!!" she screamed at me. I got up and smiled at her.

"Thanks a bunch, Kasious." I said and ran down the stairs. I ran to the meeting hall and found a terrible sight. Master McDohl and Kasumi were…kissing each other. I ran over to them and separated them. I couldn't stop myself nor did I know what I was doing. All I remember is that I pulled them apart and found myself take my sword out and was about to hit Master McDohl, but someone had blocked my hit. It was…Grenseal…I was stunned at the thought of my best buddy doing something like this. 

"ALEN!! PUT YOUR SWORD DOWN!!" he shouted at me. I couldn't help the thought of seeing Kasumi and the McDohl kid being together.

"I'M GOING TO KILL HIM!! HE KISSED HER!! GRENSEAL!! STEP ASIDE!!" I screamed, but he just continued to protect him. I then felt as if my own younger brother betrayed me, I also couldn't help but shed a tear. There were then arms from behind and told me to stop. I was about to push the figure away, but noticed that it was Kasumi. I then dropped my sword on the ground and found myself confused. 

"Alen…please stop. Do you have feelings for me?" she asked with her calm and sweet voice. I nodded and found myself feeling weak as if I were an untrained soldier who had lost a battle. "Well, I may like Hero McDohl…but I know that I love you more. Please…stop acting like this right now…I want to be with you for the rest of my life." I gave her a tight hug and a kiss on the cheek, but I found myself later kissing her on her gentle lips. Once we finished our kiss, the others were clapping and I found myself apologizing for my behavior and left the party with my love, Kasumi. We walked to my room and spent the night together. I loved her more than anything on the Earth, and I'd get or do anything for her also. 


End file.
